The Bleu Cafe
by rinrinlen12
Summary: There are different types of coffee. And each personality has a specific taste for a specific kind of coffee, depending on their emotions, situation, and circumstances. Find out how coffee brought together a overbearing hair-stylist and a barista together on a gloomy day.
1. Disclaimer

**I do not own Kuroko no Basket.**

This series is owned by the all and powerful **Tadatoshi Fujimaki.**

This is only a fanfiction where I change the age of some characters and place them into an Alternate Universe to match my ship.

This story currently has Kise-Kuroko. I do not know if I am going to add other ships.


	2. Mysterious Cafe

A certain blond wandered through the busy streets of the city, looking for something to eat.

 _I should probably get lunch quickly... I have to get back to the shop at 1..._

He looked around the street. There was... fast food, fast food, and... fast food.

 _Ugh... I'm sick and tired of eating fast food everyday..._ He thought dejectedly as he trudged on.

After 5 minutes, he still found nothing.

 _Shit, I have ten minutes left... Today would probably be another no lunch day..._

He sighed and walked back to his shop. As he turned to a smaller street, he smelled the scent of coffee.

"Hm?" The blonde turned to the source of the smell. "Was there always a cafe here?"

He walked closer to the cafe to examine it.

 _Weird, it doesn't have a menu..._

Intrigued but this small cafe, he opened the door of the cafe. As he opened the door, he was hit by the whole atmosphere of the cafe.

Soft jazz music played softy in the back, a golden-orange light illuminated the brick walls, and the sweet smell of coffee wafted through the air.

"Wow..." The blonde felt like he stepped into a whole other world. All the tension in his shoulders slowly drifted away.

"Would you like something?" A soft voice came from the counter.

"Oh I was wondering if you had a menu?" His eyes drifted to the male at the counter.

He was a short, yet slender man with baby blue hair. His soft blue eyes gazed directly at the blonde.

"U-um..." He tried to speak up again.

"Please make yourself comfortable." The man pointed at the chair, interrupting him. "Would you like it here or to go?"

"Uh, to go, but I haven't even ordered anything?"

He was ignored as the man started preparing a coffee.

 _...I shouldn't have gone here..._ He thought sullenly and sat down in the chair. _Although, the atmosphere is nice..._

A few minutes later, a bag and a cup of coffee was set in front of the blonde.

"Huh?" He stared at the bag. "I didn't order anything though..."

"You are a new customer, it is free of charge." The man said, then left to attend to the dishes.

 _...I guess it's better than nothing then..._ He thought as he left the cafe and walked a few yards to his hair salon.

"Ah, I got here just in time!" The blonde walked into the salon where a stern-looking man was glaring at him with his arms crossed.

"Just in time?! You are ten minutes late Kise! How many times do I have to tell you not to be late!"

"Haha, sorry Kasamatsu, I was caught up with a cafe."

Kasamatsu was about to shout at him again, but he stopped when the door opened.

"Um, I'm here for my haircut from Kise..."

"Oh, welcome welcome!" Kise smiled at the girl and set the bag and coffee down on the counter. "Please, sit here."

As the girl was getting her hair curled by Kasamatsu, Kise took his lunch and sat in the room in the back.

He sighed and took a sip of his coffee. It was surprisingly still warm and a caramel flavor enveloped his tongue.

 _Caramel cappuccino..?_

After he gulped down half of the coffee, he took out the contents of the bag.

It was a turkey sandwich.

 _Hm? How did he know I was craving for turkey? ...Nah, must be a coincidence..._

He took a bite of the sandwich. Simplistic, yet healthy: just what Kise wanted for his lunch.

 _How strange..._


	3. New guests

**Wowow, this one is a long one. Please tell me if you liked it or not!**

Kise and Kasamatsu were on lunch break from work. As Kise walked into the room, a citrus aroma filled the air from his drink.

Kasamatsu looked up from his paper. "What's in the drink?"

Kise looked at it. "I think its fruit tea?"

"Let me take a sip." Kasamatsu said as he took his drink from Kise's hand.

A sweet and sour citrus flavor spread inside his mouth as took a small sip.

"Hey! Jeez, get your own drink." Kise pouted and snatched it back; putting the bag down on the table.

"It's pretty good. Where is it from?"

"The café down the small street a few blocks away."

"Hm…" Kasamatsu examined the bag on the table. "Bleu café?"

"Yeah, I really like the drinks there. And it's a lot better than all the fast food restaurants around here."

It's been a good month ever since Kise found the small café. Through weeks of persuasion, he finally discovered that the barista's name was Kuroko Tetsuya. Not much sooner, a new worker appeared in the café. The new worker's name was Furihata Kouki, a good friend of Kuroko. He doesn't help with the drinks, but helps out with orders and food.

A bright afternoon light shone through the windows of the salon. The door of the salon was slightly open, letting the autumn air slip through its gap. A small sign hung on the doorknob saying, "Sorry! We are on break!" swung as a small breeze flowed through the crevice.

The salon was silent with the exception of the sound of Kasamatsu flipping through a magazine. As he looked through the magazine, he noticed the brand name and the familiar sight of a model in the pictures.

Suddenly, the bell to the door rang as the door was pulled open.

"Kise~!" A female voice came from the door to the salon. "Eh? He's not here."

"I keep on telling you, you need to make an appointme—"

Kasamatsu recognized these voices and sighed. He walked out of the lounge and saw the same two people that he just saw on the magazine.

"Oh Kasamatsu!" The lady waved as he walked out of the lounge.

"Oh. It's you guys."

A beautiful pink-haired woman raised her sun glasses. "Eh? Is that how you address your dearest guests?"

"Sorry for barging in suddenly." The dark-skinned man stated bluntly.

Kasamatsu smiled on the inside. It was hard to believe that the woman used to be the one fussing over the man back in high school.

"It's alright. You guys usually come on the right time, but I'm afraid Kise isn't here right now." Kasamatsu said.

The lady pulled out her cellphone. "Eh? But according to my data, he would be here right now…"

"Still keeping data? Creepy." The man sighed.

"Hey! I need to know when he gets off of work so he can cut my hair!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Jeez, you mock me, but you need the haircut as well! It's a benefit for both of us, you should be thankful!"

"As I told you for the hundredth time, we should've just made an appointment!"

"Alright, alright. Before you two start a scene, why don't I just bring you guys to him?" Kasamatsu interrupted their argument.

Soft jazz music played in the café as the barista, Kuroko, carefully handled the coffee machine. Kise stood by the counter busy admiring his graceful movements.

Kuroko paused in his work. "…Kise, please stop staring at me like that."

"Ah! I was staring? Sorry!" Kise laughed, seeming more happy that sorry.

The new worker Furihata glanced at the two people and smiled. He felt relieved that Kuroko finally made some interactions with some other people other than him.

His eyes drifted from the two people to the opening door.

"Oh! Kasamatsu… and two more guests?" Furihata looked behind Kasamatsu only to see two extremely fashionable people walk in.

"Hey! It's Momocchi and Aominecchi!" Kise exclaimed.

"Kise!" Momocchi rushed over and gave him a friendly hug. "This café is beautiful!"

"I know right? You should try their drinks!" Kise bragged.

"Drinks? But I didn't see a menu…" Momoi wandered around the café entrance.

"I thought we were going to get a haircut Momoi." Aomine sighed.

"Oh right, but Kise seems to be on break, so let's take a break as well!"

Aomine made a dissatisfied face as Kise and Momoi dragged him to a table in the café. Kasamatsu smiled at the sight and then walked to the counter where Furihata was.

"3 more drinks please." He stated.

"Would you like something to eat?"

"I'll get a croissant sandwich."

"Alright." Furihata nodded and started working.

"What kind of drinks are here?" Momoi asked Kasamatsu as he pulled a chair to the table.

"You'll see." Kasamatsu smiled as he sat down.

"Hmm? If Kasamatsu likes it, then I have high expectations." Momoi stated with a smile and then turned towards Kise. "So how's the salon going?"

"Haha, just the regular. Business is always fine."

"Is it?" Momoi laughed, "Then it must be because of our advertising for you last time!"

Aomine sighed. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Ah! Dai-chan, don't leave the café!"

"Yea, yea." Aomine grunted as he walked to the bathroom.

Aomine sighed as he zipped up his pants. Momoi always drags him everywhere when she gets a chance.

'Why can't I just have a regular day off…' He thought as he washed his hands.

As he walked out of the bathroom, the aroma of pure black coffee hit him. He looked around at the source and found the door to the kitchen open.

He looked at the source of the smell, the blue-haired barista that he saw at the beginning and was suddenly captivated by his movements. They were graceful, just like a musician playing a beautiful melody on the piano.

Sensing a pair of eyes on him, the barista stopped in his movements and looked at Aomine.

"Did you need something?" His voice broke him out of his trance.

"Ah. No, I was just thinking that what you did there was pretty cool."

"…Oh. Thank you."

"Yeah, you're welcome. I guess I'll just leave you to your work." Aomine stated before he left.

"So, when did you find this café Kise?" Momoi asked when Aomine came back to his seat. "It's really nice. I'm just confused about the menu… Is it hidden somewhere?"

"Haha, there's no menu." Kise laughed.

"Oh! Then it's like those restaurants that cook whatever the chef feels like cooking!" Momoi guess excitedly.

"Hmm, kind of but not really?"

Before Momoi could say any more, the blue-haired barista came over with a tray.

"Your drinks are here." Kuroko said as he set down the tray of drinks.

He set the tea cup with black tea in front of Kasamatsu.

"Wow! They even make tea here?" Momoi exclaimed.

"Yup!" Kise smiled.

Then Kuroko set a mug of latte in front of Momoi, a cup of black coffee in front of Aomine, a cup of caramel cappuccino in front of Kise and walked away. The smell of each coffee drifted up to their noses, unconsciously relaxing them.

"Smells great!" Momoi said before taking a sip. Instinctively, she broke out into a smile "This is pumpkin spice isn't it?"

"Why are all our drinks different? We didn't order anything." Aomine questioned after he took his sip.

"He seems to have a special talent to know what we want." Kise stated.

"How interesting." Momoi took another sip of her latte.

"Here's your croissant sandwich!" Furihata walked over with the sandwich.

"Ah. Thanks." Kasamatsu replied.

"Bathroom." Aomine stated as he got up.

"But you just went?" Kise questioned.

"I drank a lot of water today." He dismissed Kise's inquiry with a wave of his hand.

Instead of going to the bathroom, Aomine headed towards the door where he saw the barista. He looked through the kitchen and found the blue-haired barista cleaning up.

"Hey." Aomine said.

The blue-haired flinched at the sound of his voice and looked up.

"The…. The coffee was good."

He nodded. "…Thank you."

"Not a lot of cafés gets the right amount of sugar in my coffee. What's your name?"

"… Kuroko Tetsuya." The barista answered.

"Hm, Tetsu huh? My name is Aomine Daiki. Nice to meet you." Aomine smiled and stretched out his hand.

Kuroko took his hand hesitantly, still slightly surprised by the nickname.

Kise, suspecting that Aomine was grumpier than normal, walked over to the bathroom. Before he went into the stalls, he heard Kuroko talking to someone in the kitchen. He peeked from the edge of the door and saw Kuroko shaking hands with Aomine.


	4. Kurokocchi!

Kise felt a weird tingle in his stomach as he saw Aomine and Kuroko, but pushed the feeling away. After all, it was a good thing that Kuroko was getting to know more people instead of being reserved inside the shop.

"Ehhh? So Aominecchi was just sneaking off to find Kurokocchi?" Kise whined, standing at the door.

Aomine looked up from Kuroko. "Ah. Kise."

"Ehhh? Is that all the reaction I get?"

"Well, I mean, there isn't a reaction needed. We just introduced ourselves to each other."

"But why did you have to hide it from us that you were going to see the barista?" Kise teased Aomine hoping to rile him up. Also secretly to know whether or not he did it because he was interested in Kuroko.

"Well, you people would mock me."

"True ahaha~" Kise laughed. His shoulders unconsciously relaxed a bit after hearing the usual answer from Aomine.

"Anyways, Satsuki is also very interested in how you make the coffee." Aomine turned towards Kuroko.

"Oh." Kuroko responded with a blank look on his face.

"Yeah yeah! You should meet her!" Kise cheered as they walked out of the kitchen to their table.

"Oi, what's up with this squad?" Kasamatsu looked surprised as they walked out the kitchen.

"Oh! It's the barista!" Momoi squealed as she saw Kuroko. "My name is Satsuki Momoi! And I am a fashion designer! Nice to meet you!"

Kuroko bowed. "Nice to meet you Momoi-san. I'm Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Ehe~ Kuroko huh? Anyways, I loved your coffee! But we didn't order anything, how did you do it? The taste of the coffee is wonderful!"

"Well! Kuroko has a special ability in which he can distinguish what a specific customer likes or not!" Kise popped up into the conversation capriciously.

"Eh? Is that true?" Momoi looked around Kise to see whether or not Kuroko confirms it.

Kuroko nodded slowly.

"Wow! That's so cool!" I never would've thought that something like that exists!"

"How does it feel to have this ability Tetsu?" Aomine smirked

"… I mean, I think I'm just perceptive, it's not really an ability…"

"Don't be shy Kuroko! It's a skill that no one has so far!"

"Ah." Aomine looked at his cellphone. "Satsuki, we have to go now, the manager's calling."

"Oh! Well, it was fun talking to you guys!" Momoi waved as she walks toward the exit.

Kuroko swept the floor of the café. He felt tired yesterday since Kuroko doesn't really deal with people in general. He likes being more by himself, surrounded by books about coffee with the comforting smell of coffee wafting through the air.

Yes, Kuroko is more of a coffee fanatic. He fell in love with all the different styles of coffee and how it can mirror different people's moods and personalities. Of course, it doesn't just include coffee, but he is learning more about different kinds of tea as well.

But despite feeling tired yesterday with the enthusiastic visitors, he also felt slightly more cheerful. Getting showered with praises isn't all that common, and the way they all thanked him and enjoyed his coffee warmed his heart.

Of course he isn't expecting them to come soon, but he hoped…

As soon as his mind drifted to that thought, the door of the café opened. It was Aomine, just on time.

"Mornin Tetsu! Can I have some of that coffee take out?" Aomine said.

"Aomine-kun... Yes, you can have some. Although this time it is not free." Kuroko responded blandly, his poker face devoid of any emotion he felt on the inside.

"Gotchu." Aomine pulled out a wad of cash. "This enough?"

"Eh…" Kuroko looked at the wad of cash, "Aomine, this is too much for one cup."

"Huh? Nah, I'm just paying for a month's worth."

"…But even so…"

"It's okay, just take it." Aomine ruffled Kuroko's hair. "Half of the portion goes for Momoi as well."

Kuroko looked down at the wad of cash. The cash was probably enough to last for a good three years or so. Every bill had an amount of 100 dollars on it.

"I can't accept this Aomine-kun."

"Man, stop being fussy and give me my coffee." Aomine yawned and sat down at one of the seats.

Kuroko sighed and walked back to the kitchen. He gave Furihata the wad of cash, and he widened his eyes as he saw the amount.

Kuroko then turned to the coffee machine.

Who really pays that much for coffee?

"Here's your coffee." Kuroko said, offering him his drink.

"Oh. Thanks." Aomine smiled at him and left the shop.

"…Furihata-san, did you manage?" Kuroko asked him when Aomine was clearly out of sight.

"Yeah, although I was suuper nervous! I felt like he knew somehow!" Furihata exclaimed nervously.

"Well, if he knew, it's good he accepted. No one should honestly pay that much money for a month's worth of coffee." Kuroko responded looking out the glass doors.

Kise skipped to his favorite café during his afternoon break. He was glad that Kuroko was a bit more open with other people. Although Kise wished that Kuroko would be open with him too.

He's not going to lie, he did feel a bit jealous when Aomine got to give Kuroko a nickname for him. But no matter, Kise can gradually get him to accept the nickname he'll soon use as well.

"Hello! I am here!" Kise opened the door to the café.

"Oh. Kise-kun. Hello." Kuroko looked up from reading a book.

"It's as spacy as usual today isn't it?" Kise looked around the shop.

Despite Kuroko's special ability to give everyone the perfect drink, there aren't a lot of customers that Kise has seen during the limited amount of time he gets to visit.

"I don't need a lot of customers." Kuroko stretched and picked up his black apron that he usually wears over his collared white shirt.

"Eh? Then how will you guys stay afloat? I don't want my favorite café to go out of business!" Kise started getting anxious. He knew that there weren't a lot of customers but he only thought that it was because they just opened recently.

"We been through rough days. But it's alright, we can handle it." Kuroko started walking to the kitchen.

Kise looked at Kuroko's figure disappear into the kitchen. Then Furihata walked over to his table.

"Aren't you worried about the shop?" Kise asked Furihata after a moment of silence.

"Hm… I wouldn't say I really am. I feel like Kuroko manages somehow. I can't say anything since he's the boss and all." Furihata responded after thinking hard about his response.

"But…"

"Don't worry! Don't worry!" Furihata laughed and patted him on the back. "We know how much you like this shop."

Kuroko walked over and gently put the mug of latte down onto the table and sat down.

"Kise, you should stop overthinking and just drink." He stated.

Kise looked at his drink. The smell of the something inside the drink wafted into the air, suddenly relaxing his shoulders. He slowly brought the mug up to his mouth and took a little sip.

"It's cinnamon!" Kise's mood perked up as he started drinking more of it.

"Ah! Hot, hot, hot!" He quickly set it down the table, as the coffee burned his tongue.

Kuroko smiled at him as he would smile at an overgrown puppy. Furihata laughed at Kise.

"Kuroko is this a way to tell Kise to calm down?" He started laughing more.

"I guess, it is but I don't think it's working." Kuroko replied with a slight smile.

Kise was confused. "Calm down? Where is the message?"

"It's the coffee. The smell of cinnamon tends to relax a person… I guess that's not true with you." Kuroko replied with an amused look on his face.

"What? I did relax, it's just I didn't know it was so hot!" Kise retorted.

"Sure you did, sure you did." Furihata was still laughing. "Anyways, I'm going to make a sandwich, do you want anything Kise?"

"I'll just have the regular!" Kise shouted as Furihata walked into the kitchen.

Kise went back to fanning his own tongue. He heard a snicker from the other side of the table.

"Come on, even you're starting to laugh at me?" Kise whined.

"Ahaha, but it's really amusing." Kuroko's shoulder's shook as he laughed silently.

Kise pouted, but he smiled inwardly. _Yeah. This is nice._

"Hey hey, would it be okay to call you Kurokocchi?" Kise blurted.

The look on Kuroko's face made it seem like he asked too suddenly. Oops.

"Kuro… kocchi?" Kuroko slowly pronounced the nickname Kise gave him.

Welp. It's now or never. If Kise jokes about this, then he'll never actually get the chance to ask him again.

"It's just I call a lot of people with the nickname I respect, and since you were such a reserved person in the beginning, I was thinking that maybe you don't like me calling you that in the beginning, so I didn't, but when Aomine called you as 'Tetsu' I thought that you would be fine with it you know?" Kise paused to take a breath after his hasty explanation. "So… Can I?"

Kuroko looked at Kise directly in the eyes. Kise gulped and waited for a response.

"I mean… I guess there's no harm." Kuroko sighed.

Kise mentally jumped up and down. He finally did it! After weeks of persuading Kuroko to open up a bit more, he did it. He felt like he just won an award. Seems like all that hard work wasn't for nothing.

Sorry this took so long to update! I was planning to finish this chapter at the start of break, but... you know aha =w=

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it! It's just a bit more fluff and stuff, no dramatic stuff happening yet aha


	5. Friend?

KKKK, 2K wordsss, first time ever lol. Enjoy! I had fun writing fluff. ( can't have points on the chapter title :/ Mannn)

Kise stood in front of the small coffee house, peering in through the glass doors. He was intrigued by this small cafe. It must have just been a coincidence that the barista knew what he wanted to drink. What else can explain this phenomenon?

He nodded pensively. The cafe was probably just opening, which was probably the reason why there wasn't a menu. Nodding slowly to himself, he stepped into the cafe.

Once again, he was struck by the ambience of the cafe. It was peculiar from the previous cafes he has been to. They were always bustling with other annoying people like teenagers and always playing loud modern music.

This cafe was more calming, relaxed. It had little to no people, played a soothing classic jazz, and there was a general warm golden feeling to the cafe that Kise describes as homely.

Yes, this cafe somewhat reminded him of his home. A warm, welcome place, that nobody judged you for anything you do.

"...do you need anything?" He heard a small voice from the counter.

He gazed at the source of the quiet voice.

"Ah, I just wanted a drink here." Kise smiled and scratched his head. "But there's no menu…"

The blue eyed barista gazed at him and walked away from the counter to the coffee machine.

Intrigued, Kise settling himself on the bar stools next to the counter and watched the barista start working on the coffee.

"So… what's your name?" Kise asked the barista.

The barista didn't respond, and he continued preparing the coffee silently.

"Hm… what made you start as a barista?"

Silence.

"What coffee are you making?"

Silence, once again.

"... uh, okay…" Kise murmured and took out his phone to check the time. The barista had a mysterious aura around him even if he wasn't very verbal. But Kise can't help it if the bluenette didn't want to open up and socialize. Maybe he was just shy.

A few minutes later, the barista set down a small clay cup in front of him. The cup looked as if it was a traditional styled cup used in tea ceremonies, although the mouth was a lot wider. It contained white froth with green powder sprinkled on top. The edges of the froth were also lined with green, so Kise assumed that this was a green tea cappuccino.

"Ah! Uh, how much is it?" Kise asked.

"3 dollars." The barista answered.

"Okay!" Kise pulled out three dollars and planted it on the counter.

He took a sip of the coffee. The taste of green tea burned into his tongue, making him reminisce the traditional flavor of the countryside, yet there was still a taste of coffee and slight cream.

"This is really good!" He exclaimed.

The barista, who was washing the materials he just used, nodded thankfully in response.

"It seems like you know just what I need to drink!" Kise chirped happily.

The barista, not saying anything once again, just nodded.

"So… can I know your name?" He asked hopefully.

The barista glanced at Kise and just walked away. Kise sighed, crestfallen about the barista's refusal to open up.

The next day, Kise walked into the cafe again, looking forward to the next drink prepared by the barista.

"Hello!" He called out to the barista at the counter. "I'm here again!"

The barista glared at him. "To go…?"

"Yes please!" Kise smiled.

The barista nodded and got to work.

Kise relaxed on the bar stools, where he could see the barista's back, making the coffee with his skilled hands.

"Oh, I think I was a bit rude asking for your name yesterday, when I didn't give my own out." Kise said sheepishly. "My name is Kise Ryouta, and I work at the salon near this cafe."

Kise stared at the barista with eager eyes, hoping for a reaction, but he didn't get any.

Kise set his head down onto the table. Although he was already ignored three times yesterday, Kise couldn't help but feel a bit dejected by the total ignorance today as well. Usually everyone at least responds to him in some way, whether good or bad, but the barista seemed to have no feelings towards him at all. Is he doing something wrong? Or...

"I wonder if he's a robot?" He murmured quietly.

A paper bag was set down in front of his face. "Kuroko Tetsuya. And I'm not a robot." He heard the soft voice echo above him.

Kise immediately sat up, but the sudden movement caused the bar stool to tip and end up with him falling.

Kuroko looked over the bar, looking shocked.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow…" Kise rubbed his head slowly.

He felt two arms looping around his to help him stand up.

"Ah, Thank you!" Kise bowed when he realized it was Kuroko who helped him get up. As he stood back up again, he felt his face flush up. It must have been so silly to see him fall off of the chair suddenly, for no reason at all.

 _How embarrassing!_ He lamented on the inside.

"Ahaha, well that was embarrassing…" Kise scratched his head.

As expected, there was no reaction from the bluenette.

"Ah… well, how much is the coffee this time?" Kise asked him.

"Ah." His question seemed to capture Kuroko's attention once again. "It's 4 dollars…"

Kise nodded, and took out 4 dollars to give to him. "Anyways, thanks for the coffee Kurokocchi!"

"...Kuroko...cchi?" Kuroko stared at him with confusion.

"Ah!" Kise realized that he accidently slipped up, using a nickname when he just introduced himself. Kise cursed inwardly, for making this mistake. What if Kuroko didn't like being so close in the beginning and gets mad after he starts calling him that too much?

"Oh, I mean, Kuroko is so talented!" Kise quickly tried to cover up.

Kuroko gazed into Kise's eyes, which were flickering from left to the right, trying to avoid the bluenette's deep gaze.

"Uh… well! I'll just leave! See you tomorrow!" Kise waved a goodbye to him. And ran out the coffeehouse.

The next day Kise walked into the cafe with a tired, "Good afternoon."

He plopped down on the bar and started watching Kuroko work without a word. The morning was filled with girls who wanted a haircut, and Kasamtsu and Kise had to scramble to each girl as they called for them. It felt like he didn't have time to breathe through the whole morning. Then Kise groaned as he remembered that he still had to take care of a few more customers after break as well.

Kise sighed into his hands, until he realized that Kuroko was staring at him.

"Wahh!" Kise almost fell back again, but then regained his balance. "Kuroko! You scared me…"

"..." Without saying anything, he went back to making his drink.

 _Not talkative as usual huh?_ Kise watched Kuroko as he made… An unfamiliar scent drifted through the air.

Kise looked at the drink curiously, because he knew it certainly wasn't coffee. It had more of a citrus smell that invigorated one's mind.

"Kuroko… Is that tea?" Kise asked.

Kuroko turned around and nodded.

It was such a simple gesture, but he felt happy nevertheless. The idea of Kuroko responding to him made him feel very satisfied about how far he has come to getting to know this person. After all, Kise respects him very much and even if he doesn't talk much, he enjoys his presence. It was very smooth and relaxing, like a nice dream.

A bag was set down in front of him.

"I… included some lemon bars to balance out the flavor. The cost is 4 dollars." Kuroko states.

Kise felt a grin creeping up his face as he paid the money and took the bag. Even though Kuroko ignores him most of the time, he still somewhat cares about Kise. That means Kuroko doesn't completely dislike him, right?

 _As Kise walked back into the salon, a citrus aroma filled the air from his drink.  
Kasamatsu looked up from his paper. "What's in the drink?"  
Kise looked at it. "I think its fruit tea?"  
"Let me take a sip." Kasamatsu said as he took his drink from Kise's hand.  
A sweet and sour citrus flavor spread inside his mouth as took a small sip.  
"Hey! Jeez, get your own drink." Kise pouted and snatched it back; putting the bag down on the table.  
"It's pretty good. Where is it from?"  
"The café down the small street a few blocks away."  
"Hm..." Kasamatsu examined the bag on the table. "Bleu café?"  
"Yeah, I really like the drinks there. And it's a lot better than all the fast food restaurants around here."  
-_

The next day, Kise walked in the cafe and found Kuroko reading a book silently. Kuroko hasn't even realized Kise was there yet.

"Hey Kuroko, you seemed pretty immersed in that book huh?" Kise asked as sat down next to him.

Kuroko jumped up as he realized that Kise was in the cafe. "Ah. Kise-kun."

After gazing at him for a few seconds, Kuroko slowly stood up and walked towards the kitchen, wrapping the black apron around his back.

And with that, Kise was left alone, listening to the soft music that played from the speakers. He looked at the book that was left on the table.

"So you read _The Catcher_ too?" Kise asked him, curious, when Kuroko walked back holding his coffee.

Kuroko's eyes suddenly seem to sparkle with excitement. "Do… you read it too?"

"Yeah, I read it before." Kise smiled politely on the outside, but he was actually doing flips on the inside. Kuroko actually initiated a question for the first time! "Do you read any other books?"

Kuroko nodded. "I read _Blooming in the Wild_ too."

"I heard of that one! Is it good?"

"Yes… I…" Kuroko paused in his statement as if trying to find the right words to say. "I have a copy. Do you want to borrow it?"

Kise tried to force the grin from creeping up his face. "Sure!"

The doorbell rung as two people walked in the cafe.

"Kuroko! Good morning!" Kise walked in. "I brought in a friend!"

He stopped when he realized there was another person in the shop, wearing the same uniform as Kuroko.

Kuroko gazed in between the new worker and Kise, and then realized that the two haven't met yet. "Ah. This is Furihata Kouki." He said softly.

"Oh! Hello new worker!" Kise bowed.

"Eh? Um, hello!" Kouki responded with a bow as well.

"So that's the barista that you were talking about?" Kasamatsu appeared behind him.

"Yup! He has an ability to know what you want to drink."

"Hmmm?" Kasamatsu observed Kuroko over the counter as he was making their drinks.

After a few minutes, Kuroko set the drinks down in front of them. Kise's drink had a vanilla smell drifting from the cup. Kasamatsu's cup contained what looks like black tea.

Kasamatsu took a sip of his tea and smiled. "You really have a special talent there." He told Kuroko.

The bluenette just nodded in response.  
"Ah Kuroko! I finished reading the book!" Kise exclaimed taking out the book that he borrowed. "It was so sad in the end!"

"Yeah… But it's good that the character died happy in the end." Kuroko said.

"True…"

Kise saw Kasamatsu walk towards the new worker and to start a conversation.

"So, what other books do you read?" Kise inquired, almost hesitantly, afraid that Kuroko might just block him out again.

"...I like most of the adventure types of books."

"Heh, I like adventure as well, but I also like the books with some drama."

"Hm… I think any kind of genre is okay, as long as the character developments are good."

"Really? I think that as long as the story is interesting, I would read the book!"

"But the story develops on the characters in the book. The characters are what determines the ending of the book. If the ending doesn't fit with the character's development up to that point, then it doesn't make the story united as a whole."

Kise stared at Kuroko, dumbfounded for a minute. "Hahaha, Kuroko, you love books don't you?"

"I do." He immediately replied.

"Wow, then we could've just talk about books this whole time you were ignoring me~" Kise joked.

Now it was Kuroko who stared at him with shock. He blinked a few times before singling out the words he wanted to say. "I didn't mean to ignore you, I just didn't know what to say."

"Oh, haha, you don't need to choose your words Kurokoc-, I mean Kuroko!" Kise caught himself before he slipped out the nickname again.

"I realized." Kuroko sipped a cup of coffee he made for himself. "Kise-kun seems like the type to just spill everything out of his mouth."

Kise laughed nervously. "Is that an insult?"

"No…" He paused a little, staring at his americano. "I tend to be very blunt Kise-kun. And that didn't seem to fit well with a lot of people, so I just stopped talking."

Kise glanced at the way Kuroko rubbed the cup while speaking. He noticed how fragile the bluenette looked when he made that statement.

"Well, I'm sure that you found someone who can accept your blunt way of speaking!" Kise chirped, "And by that I meant me!"

"I wonder if you count as someone." Kuroko stated frankly.

Kise fell over slightly clutching his chest, crying crocodile tears. "Ohh, that hurt."

He looked up wondering what Kuroko's face would look like, and was shocked to find that he was… _smiling_.

The glow of the sunlight outside illuminated the side of Kuroko's face, making him look admittedly handsome.

Kise was staring at Kuroko, mouth agap, until he felt an all too familiar hand on his shoulder.

"We got to go." Kasamatsu said.

"Oh!" Kise snapped out of his trance. "Uh, how much was it?"

"3 dollars for you." Kuroko answered and then turned to Kasamatsu. "Yours is free for the first time."

Kise nodded as he paid the bill and then left.

"He's really talented." Kasamatsu stated.

"I know right?" Kise happily agreed.

"Yeah. You seem awfully doting on him."

"That's because he's so talented! But he's a bit reserved."

"Really?"

Kise pouted at Kasamatsu. "What do you mean 'really'? You haven't tried talking to him."

Kasamatsu hit him on the head.

"Ow! What was that for Kasamatsucchi!"

"Your pout pissed me off."

Kise sighed.

"... Furihata told me that Kuroko was a lot more talkative than usual."

"Huh?! Really?" Kise exclaimed.

"Yeah."

"Wow. I would've never guessed." Kise marveled. Then that means that he has somehow changed Kuroko? Maybe he's jumped onto friend status?

"By the way, who is Furihata?" Kise asked Kasamtsu.

"He was the new worker! Pay attention to your surroundings idiot." Kasamatsu hit Kise on the head again.

"Ow!" Kise rubbed his head. "... But how would he know? He's a new worker!"

"He's he worked with Kuroko before."

"Eh, really?"

"Yeah."

Kise opened the door to the salon and walked in. It wasn't long until he would have to deal with all the different customers, but he didn't feel tired. He was more happy than anything, that Kuroko was finally accepting him, as a friend.


	6. Flash

**Oh I took a while editing for this. Two more weeks guys, until AP tests are coming. I'm hella stressed and I wrote this during spring break lol. Too much work on my part and activities. I'm definitely still continuing this tho. I really like this series, but I just haven't had the time to write, sorry. Hope you enjoy!**

Despite it being spring, there were still cold days where snowflakes drifted through the air, chilling the city. Yet the city was lively still, not discouraged by the freezing temperatures.

But today was not one of those days.

"Today there's no snow huh..." Kise murmured as he looked out through the glass doors of the cafe.

"Is there a need for snow? It's always so cold." Kuroko responded, not looking up from the giant book he was reading.

"Yeah, but snow always paints the city white, when it's usually grey you know?"

Kuroko took a sip of his coffee, still immersed in the book. "I guess."

They fell back into silence as Kuroko continued to read his book and Kise continued to stare out the glass doors. Kise shifted his gaze from the doorway to Kuroko.

"What book is that again?" Kise asked.

"The Heart." Kuroko answered, not sparing a glance at Kise.

"Hm..." Kise hummed in response, not taking his eyes off of Kuroko.

Kuroko was drinking his own coffee with a book in his hand. He looked extremely relaxed, his baby blue hair glistening in the soft lights of the cafe.

Kise eyed Kuroko's blue hair. Was it naturally blue or was it dyed? But Kise even if it was dyed, such a bright color would be faded by now, and his natural hair color would be peeking out at the roots. Kise nodded internally coming to conclusion that Kuroko's hair is probably not dyed. Which would explain why it was so soft. Kuroko probably did nothing to his hair, if so, just barely, because they would not look as soft as it looks.

That train of thought gave Kise the urge to touch Kuroko's hair. Was it really as soft as it looks?

Unconsciously, his hand reached forward to take a strand or his hair.

The doors of the cafe then suddenly swung open, creating a gush of cold wind into the cafe. The pink haired woman strode through the doorway.

"Kise! I need your help!" Momoii shouted as she scanned the room.

Kise immediately straightened up from his position, and quickly withdrew his hand from Kuroko's hair.

"Yes! What is it?!"

Momoi then stomped over to his location and pulled up her sunglasses. "I need three more models!"

"..." Kise sighed. "Oh, it's just that."

"It's not just that! We are behind schedule and we need to get this photoshoot done, but all the models are out or busy!" Momoi exclaimed.

"Momo-cchi, you know I don't do modelling anymore!" Kise sighed

"Make this an exception?"

"There has been too many exceptions" He pouted.

Momoii collapsed dramatically on the table. "These clothes are used for the new premiere for spring, and I put my heart and soul into these clothes!"

Before Kise could retort, Kuroko softly set down a take-out drink next to her. A cinnamon smell was wafting out of the drink.

When did Kuroko even get up to make coffee?

"You can do it Momoii." Kuroko smiled at her.

Suddenly, a look of realization came across her face.

"Tetsu-kun!" She suddenly exclaimed.

"Yes?"

"You can model for me right?"

"Eh." Kuroko's looked shocked with a mixture of _I-dont-want-to-do-it_ , stare.

"Right?" She stared at him with large sparkling eyes.

"...Yeah...uh. I don-" Kuroko responded with a hesitant voice and avoided her gaze slowly.

"Alright! It's decided then! Tetsu-kun and Furihata-kun can go model!" Momoii exclaimed and grabbed both of their arms and ran off without giving a chance for them to respond.

"Eh?" Kise exclaimed. "Wait. Furihata-kun was here?"

He stopped and tried to recall where Furihata was this while time. Did Furihata see his attempt to touch Kuroko's hair? But it should be okay, since he can just use the fact that he's a hair stylist to explain what he was doing.

Then he realized that he was the only one left in the cafe.

"...Wait, I'm going with you guys!"

The studio was crowded with people. Many models ran around the place, designers tossing clothes all over the floor. Lights flashed every few seconds, blinding Kuroko and Furihata as the walked into the building.

"This place is hectic." Furihata marvelled.

"Yo." Aomine walked over to the group smiling. "So you guys are subbing in for others today huh?"

He noticed Kise behind the two. "Ohh! You got Kise to come? Well, that's a first." He commented to Momoi who was already in the pile of clothes searching for their outfits.

"Hah! As if, I wanted to come!" Kise retorted with a pout.

"You didn't say that Kise." Kuroko looked up at him.

"Kurokocchi! You were supposed to defend me!" Kise whined.

But before things got more hectic, Momoi went up to Kuroko holding an extravagant buttoned up shirt, with frills embroidered on the edges of the seams. "Tetsu-kun! Could you change into this?"

"Uh..."

"Oh, then these pants to pair with that..." She threw a pair of dress pants at him. "And then, wear this black trench coat along with that!"

She pulled up a heavy looking trench coat and dropped it on top of him and pushed him towards the dressing room.

"I'll give you the accessories later!" She called as he made his way slowly towards the dressing room.

Kuroko walked into one of the stalls and sighed in relief as he set down the clothes. He didn't want to model, he honestly cannot spawn a smile in front a camera. Hopefully he doesn't mess things up.

Kise and Furihata stood outside waiting for Kuroko to come out of the makeup studio.

Kise fiddled with the cuffs of his collared shirt as he stood in front of a full body mirror. He checked his hair, slightly puffing it up to give it more volume.

Furihata and him were wearing a slim-fitted black butler outfit. Both had the white gloves, bow tie, everything.

"We're done!" The makeup artist Riko yelled out as Kuroko was brought outside.

He looked _astonishing_. His hair was parted, one side gelled down, and the other side puffed up. He wore a small hat adorned with purple roses, and white ribbons.

His trench coat transformed into an elegant, coat embellished with golden chains and sprinkled with golden powder.

He gave an impression of a rich young master. Bold, powerful... and...

"Beautiful." Kise breathed out.

"Thank you Kise! It's nice that you acknowledge that!" Riko laughed.

"Ah... Yeah Riko, your work is always great!" Did I say that out loud? Oops. Kise smiled as if nothing happened, but he didn't miss the awkward stares that were coming from Furihata.

The theme was butler and master.

Kise and Furihata were the butlers, while Kuroko was the doll-like master, sitting on a chair full adorned with thorns and roses, sparkling with gold glitter.

Kuroko tried not to blink with the gold dust on his face and the heavy makeup he had to wear.

What kind of clothes are they trying to promote... ? Kuroko thought as he sat uncomfortably on the chair as the plastic thorns were poking into his side.

Furthermore when they were done, Kuroko was already dead tired. But turns out that they had to do more modelling.

Kuroko groaned as he took his pair of clothes into the dressing room. Thank goodness this outfit looked more comfortable and normal. He didn't want to deal with even more glittery powder on his face. He held up a pair of black skinny jeans and a patterned blue hoodie. The pattern on the hoodie was like careless triangles pressed onto the fabric.

Kuroko slowly walked out of the dressing, meeting Riko at the makeup station.

"Alright Kuroko! Let's change your image again!" She chirped and pushed him into the seat. "Hyuga! Get ready for Kuroko's next image!"

"Casual one right?" Hyuga called back from the other model from the opposite side of the room.

"Yeah."

"Alright!"

Kuroko observed the two curiously. When they were working on Kuroko's appearance before, they were working as one, no disruptions, no questions.

"...Are you two friends?" Kuroko asked curiously.

"Huh? Hyuga and I? Yep! We're good childhood friends." Riko smiled with a small blush.

"...I see."

Something tells Kuroko that it was a bit more than that.

Like... a white chocolate raspberry mocha.

Thinking about coffee, Kuroko had the urge to get up and make it.

"Okay, you're done!" Riko exclaimed, taking the cover off of his neck.

Kuroko snapped out of his daydream and looked at the mirror, shocked to see that both his hair and his makeup were done.

He murmured his thanks to Riko and Hyuga and then walked to the photoset where they were taking Kise's photos.

He glanced at Kise, who looked like he was an all natural. He seemed to outshine everyone in the room

"Kurokocchi! Your turn~" He tapped his shoulder as he walked out of the frame.

Kuroko nodded and stepped onto the white background.

The last outfit that they had to change into were suits. Though the suits were not black, they were pink with a cherry blossom design crawling in from the shoulder.

Furihata looked down at his suit looking for any flaws he could find. Furihata felt extremely out of place; everyone around him were professional models; even Kuroko could be considered one with his stoic expression that gave him an air of dignity and composure.

Kuroko was nothing like Furihata as he walked in. Furihata felt like he was going to collapse as he found himself surrounded by tall male models.

And all this time he was the least noticed. But he didn't have to be. Furihata was just confused on why he was doing this in the first place.

He straightened his tie in front of the mirror, and turned around to walk to the photoset, but he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Ah! Sor-" He suddenly lost his voice when he saw the person that he bumped into.

That person had a gaze like a lion's with mismatched golden and red eyes, that seemed to stare him down like prey and gave him shivers that crawled up his spine.

"Ah. Don't worry." The person stated curtly and then left.

Furihata shuddered as the man turned and left with the other several men. He probably would never see a person with such stature again, and he hoped he would never see him again.

"How tiring." Kuroko's shoulders sagged as he walked out the photoshoot.

"Haha, tell me about it." Kise laughed as he stretched.

"You don't seem tired at all." Kuroko sighed. "Rather, you seem more energetic than tired."

"Well, because I got to spend the whole day with Kurokochii!"

"Hm."

"Eh~ Is that all the response I get?"

Kuroko looked up innocently at Kise. "Was I supposed to say something else?"

"Ehhh, like 'Kise, It was actually really fun modelling with you', or 'Kise, you look so cool while modelling!'" Kise pretended squealed like a fangirl.

"...Keep saying those things, and I'll punch you in the side." Kuroko deadpanned.

Kise fell silent.

"...Well." Kuroko walked out staring at the everlasting roads down the city. "It was... nice, to work with you."

Kise stared at Kuroko dumbfounded. He took a mental screenshot of this moment and hid it in the depths of his mind.

Kuroko was... beautiful. His baby blue hair reflected the red and green lights flashing from the streets, His eyes reflected the twinkling lights of traffic, and his _smile._

His smile was extremely small, but it was definitely noticeable. But to Kise, it symbolized many different emotions. It was a smile of kindness, happiness, and friendship.

Kise's grin extended from ear to ear, and trotted to Kuroko's side, walking down the road.

Furihata sighed as he walked behind the blue and blond couple in front of him.

 _Someone please notice that I'm here already..._


	7. Let's go cherry blossom viewing!

omfgggg I'm so sorry this took so long. I have no excuses tbh. Well, I mean, I was in a cruise blah blah you guys don't care LOL. I hope you enjoy! I'll try to wrap this story up without rushing it, because I'm going to start a new story with my otp in Haikyuu lol  
Enjoy the story! (Sorry about the abrupt ending tho)

It was a rather peaceful day in the small cafe. Unperturbed by his surroundings, Kuroko stared inquisitively at the various assortments of coffee on the page he flipped to. .

Kise occasionally glanced up from his own story book, wondering why Kuroko had a extremely troubled look, despite him being almost expressionless.

After glancing up at him for the tenth time, Kise spoke out.

"Kurokocchi, you're going to burn a hole through that book if you stare at it any longer."

Kuroko looked up at him in a puzzled way. "Kise-kun that only happens in sci-fi novels, not in real life."

"Sci-f- I was just using it as an expression!" He exclaimed.

Kuroko ignored him and just went back to staring endlessly at the book.

Kise, used the silent treatment, swirled the spoon in his coffee and continued to try and coax Kuroko to take his eyes off of the book

"Are you trying to make a new flavor of coffee?"

Kuroko looked up, staring at Kise with wide eyes, "Yes… I'm surprised Kise was able to figure it out."

"Come on, I'm not that dumb!"

"Hm…"

Kise pouted. "But you've been staring at that book for a whole hour, you should take a break."

Kuroko looked at him inquisitively. "I am taking a break right now?"

"Nooo, I mean an actual break."

"... Like what?"

"Like… eating out or watching movies or… since it's spring, cherry blossom viewing!" Kise marveled at his idea. "This is the prime time to view cherry blossoms!"

"...I don't think that relates to coffee in any sense Kise-kun."

"Come on, it'll be fun! I'll invite Momochii, Aominechii, and Kasamatsuchii! Furihata can also come too!"

"But I don-"

"You can make drinks for us, to match the Cherry Blossom viewing mood, wouldn't that be helpful?"

"..." Kuroko thought about it hesitantly. Kise actually made sense for once. "I mean…"

"Alright then! Since tomorrow is a break let's all get together and go cherry blossom viewing!" Kise exclaimed.

Kuroko doesn't understand why he even slightly agreed to Kise and his cherry blossom viewing idea. He did not think that he would have to ride in a limo and get to the destination in a moderately secluded area and a few assistants running here and there, bringig boxes of traditional bentos.

"It's a nice day for cherry blossom viewing!" Momoi exclaimed as her assistant finishes stacking the bento boxes.

"Momoi-san, may I ask why there are so many boxes for just the five of us?" Kuroko sighed.

"Eh? I mean, the more food the better right?"

"I mean…" Kuroko held up his plate which was now filled with various kinds of foods.

"Nerrw, corm orn guysh, ret's jusht eart" Aomine said, his mouth already full of different kinds of food.

"Aomine! Please eat properly!" Momoi shouted mildly grossed out by his lack of behaviors.

Aomine ignored Momoi, just staring off into the distance.

"You dare ignore me?" Momoi seethed furiously as she whacked him in the head.

"Anyways, where were we?" Momoi turned to the others.

Kise gulped nervously. Kuroko and Furihata stayed silent while chewing their sushi.

"Anyways um, Kurokocchi, I was wondering for a while now…"

Kuroko turned his head towards him, chewing his food.

"How did you get into being a barista anyways?"

Kuroko thought about that question thoughtfully. "I've always liked vanilla latte. And I worked at a cafe before, and realized that I really liked that job. Not only that I like to create different things in the field of coffee I mean."

"Is that so?" Kise cocked his head in wonder. He thought there would be something more deep and meaningful for Kuroko to have such a unique job. Kuroko seems to have a symbolic relationship with important things.

Kuroko nodded quietly, and then took another small bite of his sushi before asking Kise a similar question to change the topic.

"Why did you quit modelling and go into being a hairstylist?"

Kise choked on his tea right as Kuroko finished his question. "Ah… Um…"

And as soon as Kuroko asked his question, Momoi and Aomine grinned widely. "Yeaaah, you should tell him about the time where you just stormed off from work."

Kuroko looked at him questioningly.

"Ughh…." Kise whimpered under the pressure of Kuroko's gaze. "Well… to start, my manager wanted me to dye my hair pink, and I really didn't want to… And my manager also pushed me to do a lot of different things I really didn't like so… I just quit."

"You should've seen him when he his manager announced that his hair was going to be dyed, he was like 'no! This is a natural pure blessed blond! I'm not going to let some chemicals taint my purest form!'" Aomine laughed.

Kise sighed Aomine and Momoi continued to laugh. Kuroko smiled quietly.

"I never thought you were that childish."

"I was in a lot of stress at that time okay?" Kise pouted.

"Pretty lame way to quit your job tho!" Aomine howled with laughter.

Kise turned into a bright shade of red and started barking mild insults at Aomine, while he continued to hold his stomach.

Kasamatsu smiled and turned to Furihata. "What about you Furihata-kun? Do you have any good memories to share?"

"Oh, uh…" Furihata figetted uncomfortably, when everyone shifted their attention to him. "I had some pretty embarrassing moments?"

"Ooh! Embarrassing stories are always nice!" Momoi laughed.

Furihata blushed in embarrassment just thinking about his story. "Well… I went camping with my friends once in the mountains, and it was nice and all but I had to use the restroom. I went to look for the bathroom and it turns out I got lost. My friends found me in the middle of the forest, and the embarrassing thing is, the bathroom was only about a few meters away from our camping spot."

The whole group chuckled. It was just like Furihata to get lost so no one was really surprised.

"You guys don't sound surprised." Furihata stated worriedly.

"Well… Furihata-kun does seem like the airhead type." Kuroko smiled.

"I-I'm not!" Furihata protested, and the rest of the group laughed.

The hour past with them continuing to talk about their pasts and fondest memories.

There were many people buzzing about, cleaning up the dishes of food that they left on the picnic tarp, while the group stood on the side chatting about basketball.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Furihata told the group.

"Alright don't get lost now!"

"I won't, I won't!"

Furihata sighed as he walked away from the rambunctious group. He probably shouldn't have mentioned his embarrassing moments.

He walked down the hill spotting the bathrooms. When he finished and opened the door, he felt of shudder run through his body as he stared into the mismatched red and gold eyes of the same person he bumped into the last time he modelled.

"Eek!" Furihata jolted at his spot. His feet suddenly felt like it was a rooted to the ground.

"... Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to move?" He stared dangerously into his eyes.

Furihata suddenly felt the blood run through his legs.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I'll jus-t-t leave now…" Furihata squeaked and ran off towards the picnic group.

The red haired head glanced at is running figure and walked into the bathroom.


	8. New book, old book

It was a warm day, those who found this mysterious cafe would be enticed by the mysterious owner that lurks inside of this shop. They became regulars and many respected the enigmatic owner's wishes and didn't spread the word about this unique cafe.

They always looked forward to the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, afraid that more people would taint this serene sanctum. They also looked forward to the coffee, for each time they come, there would be a new flavor to try, but that's only when they feel adventurous. Through turbulent times they would come to this safe haven to be revitalized from their troubles and heal their wounds and infections that manifested from their daily lives. This is the shop that one barista lives with and that was all that he had. He cherished this shop day to day, always refurbishing it to match with the mood created by each season.

It was spring. The flowers outside of the cafe bloomed nicely, with the placement of the cafe at just the right spot where a ray of sunlight would reach around the crevice between the towering buildings just to shine on this peculiar cafe. About the same time, the cafe's strange owner would come out and water the blooming flowers and plants.

Kuroko took the water pail and carried it back into the shop.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun, water is boiling!" Furihata called from the kitchen as he walked in.

"Oh, then please put the tea leaves inside the pot!" Kuroko called back.

"Okay!"

Kuroko placed the water pail back into the storage and walked to the kitchen. "Can I see?"

"Of course!"

Kuroko smiled and walked over to the pot and checked it's contents. The water, slowly changed color to a refreshing light orange.

"Please give me the strainer."

Furihata readily obeyed and handed Kuroko the strainer.

Kuroko skillfully took the pot in one hand and the strainer in the other hand and poured the tea into a two cups.

Then he took a fresh sakura petal and placed it on top of the surface of the tea so that it's just floating.

"Is this a new drink?" Furihata asked.

"Yes. Care to try it?"

"Of course!"

Furihata took a quick sip of the tea and marveled in surprise. "This really reminds me of the cherry blossom viewing."

"That's good. It was supposed to do that."

Furihata grinned. "Alright, I'll go out and fetch the ingredients for the sandwiches!"

Kuroko nodded and looked down at the tea. The events of the cherry blossom replayed in his mind and he smiled. Another memory to commemorate, he thought to himself as he wiped the few droplets of tea that dropped onto the counter.

 _"How did you get into being a barista anyways?"_

The question Kise asked echoed in his mind. Kuroko's grin faltered and he looked down at the tea. He took a sip and sighed, taking it to the table. On the way, he slipped a book out of the bookshelf randomly hoping to cheer himself up.

Just his luck, he chose the worn down book with a blue cover.

Kuroko sat down on the table, staring at the book with sad eyes. Memories began replaying on automatic as he lifted the cover of the book to expose the contents.

 _"You know, you should totally be a barista."_

He flipped through the book slowly.

 _"Kuroko, you need to socialize a bit more!"_

And he took a sip of his tea.

 _"You like vanilla latte? Give me a taste."_

Kuroko flipped to the last page of the book.

 _"Kuroko… I'm sorry."_

* * *

"And, you know Kurokocchi was like, 'I never thought you were that childish.'! I thought he would understand!" Kise whined as he tended a customer's hair.

"Ehh, I mean it down sound kind of childish." The girl giggled.

"Ehhhh, not you too Aki-chan!"

Kasamatsu, who was dying another girl's hair stared at Kise with a questioning aura

Kise who noticed Kasamatsu's gaze for a while, shivered and hesitantly asked him what's wrong.

"Kasamatsucchi? You seem to be staring at me for a while? Did I finally catch your eye?" Kise joked and he immediately regretted it because Kasamatsu threw a brush forcefully at his face.

"K-Kise-kun!" The girl who was being tended to cried worriedly.

"Ah, no problem, this is our regular interaction." Kise laughed, rubbing his nose. "Although I appreciated if you didn't aim for the face Kasamatsucchi!"

"What why, is it because that's all you have?" He deadpanned.

"So mean!"

* * *

After Kise's shift was done he walked over to Kasamatsu who was in charge of the counter.

"You seem to be talking about Kuroko a lot these days."

"?" Kise stopped to look at Kasamatsu. "It's because his coffee is so good!"

Kasamatsu turned back to the cash register and continued to assort the change. "Hm… Is that so."

"Why would you asked that?"

"Hm. Nothing."

"Eh?"

* * *

Kise pouted as he walked out of the shop. Kasamatsu refused to tell Kise what he meant by that question no matter how Kise had pestered him.

You seem to be talking about Kuroko a lot these days? Well, is there something wrong with him talking about Kuroko? Kuroko is always a lot more interesting than anything else, so it's obviously the reason why he would talk about Kuroko right? Is there something wrong with liking someone?

Wait.

Like? No wait.

Kise assures himself that he doesn't like Kuroko. At least, not in a lovers way.

He's had a few girlfriends before and that was always different from the way he feels with Kuroko.

...I need to confirm this. Kise thought and walked out towards Kuroko's cafe.

"Kurokocchi! I'm here!" Kise announced as he walked into the cafe. Kuroko was in the middle of putting a book back onto his bookshelf.

"Oh. Kise-kun." Kuroko acknowledged and pushed the worn down book back to it's spot.

"Oh? Is that a new book you were reading?"

"...No. It was a book that I really liked when I was in college." Kuroko responded and changed the topic before Kise could say anything. "Did you come for a drink?"

"Oh! Yes, of course."

"Would you like to try the one I just created?" Kuroko smiled.

"Sure!"

The blue-haired male nodded and walked back out with a cup of tea.

Kise sat down and took a wiff of the tea. It had a strangely nice aroma, like a flower. He took a sip.

Kuroko watched Kise's expression as he took a sip of the tea. He seemed to be entranced right after, staring at the surface of the tea.

"...Kise-kun?"

"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry, I spaced out there huh?" Kise laughed. He looked down at his cup and smiled warmly. "It really reminds me of yesterday's cherry blossom viewing."

Kuroko felt his heart beat skip a little. "I'm… glad it does." He quickly dismissed the feeling, as Kise rambled on about going on another trip during the summer.

* * *

Kise stretched as he walked back to the salon. He smiled warmly as he breathed into the cold air.

It certainly isn't like, Kise just likes being around Kuroko's presence, that's all.

Yes. That's all.


	9. I am

"Kurokocchi! Let's hang out around the city!" Kise flailed his arms as he tried to get Kuroko's attention in the kitchen.

"No. It's too much of a bother." Kuroko deadpanned and poured himself a cup of tea.

"But it's your special day off! We should go!"

Kuroko placed his cup of tea onto the counter, "No."

"Kurokocchiiiii" Kise sprawled out over the counter, whining.

Kuroko grabbed a recipe book from one of the bookshelves and started to read. "No."

Kise sighed. It's been about an hour since he tried to drag Kuroko outside, and nothing he's trying to convey is getting through to Kuroko. It was a special day, where he and Kuroko actually get the same day off (although Kuroko has almost everyday off due to the lack of customers but Kise won't say anything about that) and Kise wanted to spend some time in the city.

He sat down on a stool, dejected and started staring at Kuroko's hair.

"Your hair grew, didn't it?" Kise asked.

"Yeah, I suppose it did. I should get it cut soon." He said absentmindedly.

Kise jumped at the special chance for him to bring him outside. "Then, I'll cut your hair!"

"Huh?" But too late, before he knew it, he was being dragged outside to wherever Kise's salon was.

* * *

Despite Kuroko's protest, Kuroko made no move to resist as Kise started cutting his hair. After all, there was no need to make such a big fuss over a hair cut. But Kuroko had a feeling that Kise would drag him into something else after he was done with his hair.

Kuroko looked up from the recipe book that he was reading.

He looked the salon. It was clean and well organized, although that was probably thanks to Kasamatsu. It didn't seem like Kise was an organized type of person; with his spontaneous suggestions and lack of plans. His eyes traveled to Kise's moving fingers and diligent gaze at his hair.

This was the first time Kuroko had ever seen Kise so focused and serious. It felt, kind of embarrassing that someone was paying so much attention to him as well.

Guess he really loves his job, he thought.

* * *

"There, done!" Kise proudly claimed after he finished cutting Kuroko's hair. He smiled proudly at his work. "What do you think Kurokocchi?"

Kuroko was staring at the mirror which wide eyes. He seemed shocked, almost scared.

Did Kise do something wrong?

"...Why did you do to the sides of my hair?" Kuroko stared at the mirror, dumbfounded.

"Eh? I just gave you an undercut?" Kise started to panic. "Is it uneven? Did I accidentally take off more than I should?"

"No, it just looks… new I guess." Kuroko tilted his head around to look at his new hairstyle. It felt somewhat lighter, and he could feel the air brush past the trimmed parts of his hair.

"Oh." Kise decided it was a positive reaction, "So, Kurokocchi, let's go explore around the city!"

"No thanks." Kuroko responded without hesitation.

"How about we go to the different cafes around the city then? To help with your menu?" Kise asked, hoping that Kuroko would take the bait.

"No. The last time we did that, everything got hectic."

Kise thought back to the end of the cherry blossom viewing. Some other strangers start to come over and they brought alcohol with them, which got Momoi and Aomine seriously drunk. Which wouldn't be a problem if Momoi didn't start stripping and if Aomine didn't try to kiss Kuroko.

"But this time, it won't be so bad, it'll just be the two of us!" Kise smiled. "Kind of like a date!"

Kuroko sighed. "No."

"Pleaseeee?" Kise whined and looked at him with puppy eyes.

"..."

* * *

"Let's go to that cafe first!" Kise exclaimed excitedly, pulling Kuroko along.

Kuroko sighed mentally, wondering why exactly he allowed Kise to bring him out again.

They walked in one of the larger cafes in the area. It was fairly modernized, which all sorts of college students hanging around, on their computers. There was soft music in the background and the smell of coffee blasted in their face as they walked in.

"What drink do you want to try?" Kise asked Kuroko.

"Vanilla coffee." He replied without hesitation.

"Okay! You sit here while I get the drinks." Kise chirped while walking towards the cashier.

Kuroko sat down and watched Kise stand behind the line of young adults. The mood in the cafe reminded him of his college student days. Kuroko looked down at the table he sat at.

Things never change don't they…

* * *

 _"_ _You know, you should totally be a barista."_

 _Kuroko looked up. "Why?"_

 _"_ _I mean, recently you've been hooked on coffee."_

 _"_ _That's not exactly a valid reason for me to become a barista." Kuroko deadpanned._

 _"_ _Hmm, well it's still a start! That means that you became interested in it." He grinned._

 _Kuroko couldn't help but stare._

 _…_ _I don't drink coffee because I'm interested… I drink it because you come here too._

* * *

They were visiting their third cafe.

"You know, you always stay inside of your cafe, I never see you go out that much?" Kise inquired curiously.

"I don't feel like I need to walk around in the city."

"I understand that the city air isn't very nice, but I mean, still you should go out a bit right?"

"Not that I have a lot of friends to go out with either."

"Then you should socialize a bit more!" Kise laughed.

Kuroko's eyes widened.

* * *

 _"_ _Kuroko, you should really come outside more, the others are wondering if you have something against them."_

 _"_ _I don't though."_

 _"_ _Well, I mean yes, but at least don't ignore them?"_

 _"_ _...I don't know how to do that."_

 _He was stunned to silence at first, but then he let out a loud laugh. "Kuroko, you need to socialize a bit more!"_

 _I… I already have you though._

* * *

"Kurokocchi?"

Kuroko snapped out of his thoughts.

"Ah. Sorry." He stood up abruptly, hoping to distract Kise and avoid him from prying.

But he didn't pry.

* * *

"Kurokocchi! If you keep on drinking vanilla coffees, you won't get any ideas for your cafe!" Kise complained as they both walked down the street, finishing their fifth cup of coffee.

Kuroko drank his vanilla coffee silently ignoring his complaints.

"Is it really that good?" Kise pouted. "Let me taste it!"

* * *

 _Kuroko took his cup of coffee and placed it on the table._

 _"_ _You like vanilla latte? Give me a taste."_

 _"_ _Eh-" But too late. Half of the drink was already consumed. And not to mention, Kuroko already drank from it._

 _"_ _You…" Kuroko looked shellshock as he placed it back in Kuroko's hands._

 _"_ _Hahaha, that look is priceless! Don't worry don't worry, I'll get you another one."_

* * *

Kuroko shook off the memory and brought his cup away from Kise's reach. "I don't get ideas from drinking other coffees."

"What? Then what did I drink five coffees for?"

"It was your idea in the first place."

Kise's pout transformed into a smile. "Hehe, yep I know! I'm just glad I spent time with you Kurokocchi!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Because I like you!"

Kuroko literally froze. But then he thawed out in a matter of seconds and jerked his head up so fast, it was a miracle that he didn't get whiplash.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"That- Idiot, you don't say that out of the blue!" Kuroko felt his face heat up and he quickly covered it with his hand. Judging by Kise's reaction, he didn't intend it to mean it as a confession.

"Why not?"

"It's- People will assume you're gay."

"Hm… I don't think I am?" Kise thought. Then he turned to Kuroko "Are you?"

"I-"

 _"_ _Kuroko… I'm sorry."_

"I…" Kuroko looked down at the ground.

"Well…" Kise awkwardly looked around.

"I am." Kuroko gazed at Kise straight in the eye. "I am gay."


	10. Fiery Feelings

"I am gay."

Kise made an expression that looked like he was suddenly doused with ice-cold water. There was no disgust or negative feeling, it was just pure, shock.

Kuroko certainly concealed that part of him carefully. There was no doubt. Even under Kise's observant gaze, Kuroko made sure nothing was expressed through his actions and behavior.

"It's… shocking huh." Kuroko smiled sadly tearing his gaze away from Kise's shocked expression.

"I-It's…" Kise tried to find the right words through all the confusion and refrained himself from asking a barrage of questions. "...I'm glad you told me about it."

Kuroko looked a surprised by his answer. "You… aren't grossed out…?"

"Why would I be? I'm just really shocked that you hid that fact from me."

"So… you won't avoid me?"

Kise stopped his rambling and gave Kuroko a questioning look. "Why would I? You're a good friend."

Those words seemed to cast away all the tension created in his shoulders. Like a strong breeze just blew through him, relieving him from his anxieties and sadness from the past. It was like he could be born anew, happy and without being reserved.

He sighed in relief. "Thank goodness…"

* * *

Kuroko and Kise walked back to the shop talking seldomly about the different coffee shops that they visited. To Kuroko, he still felt a bit uncomfortable and self-conscious about his confession, but Kise accepted his feelings and didn't pry too much about 'the past' that he mentioned briefly.

Kuroko watched Kise turn the corner towards his salon. He never expected the day to turn out so well.

All in all, Kise respects him as a friend. And he is never going to lose that again.

Even if he has to bury these fiery emotions in the deepest darkest parts of his heart.

* * *

Kise turned the corner, walking towards his shop. He certainly still felt surprised, but he knew those feelings would die down sooner or later. After all, Kasamatsu was gay and if Kise didn't like gays he probably wouldn't work with him.

As he approached the hair salon, he noticed the girl he tended not too long ago, waiting in front of the salon.

"Aki-chan! What are you doing here so late?" Kise asked as he jogged over to her.

"U-um, I asked if you were in and Kasamatsu said that you were out… So I waited here until you came back…" She squeaked embarrassingly.

"Wait, you waited that long?!"

"Oh, no it was like 10 minutes before I came over here so…"

"Oh… I see. If you waited for the whole day I was going to give Kasamatsu a good beating!" Kise laughed. "So did you need something?"

"U-Um…" She hesitated before yelling, "I… I like you!"


	11. Kagami Taiga

"Furihata-kun can you flip the sign after you are done sweeping the floor?" Kuroko called out from the kitchen, occupied with experimenting with different blends of coffee.

"Yeah sure!"

It was early in the morning, where the city was crowded with traffic and people trying to get to work on time. But down the small street, the small cafe emitted an aura of relaxation and peace despite the chaos in the city.

Kuroko's face wore a small smile as he sprinkled cinnamon powder onto the foam of the new vanilla latte.

Kuroko felt as if he is "putting his whole self into his own creation". Ever since he opened his shop he never changed the recipe, since Kuroko felt that he wasn't ready to change it. But after the "date" -Kise had called it- Kuroko accepted change, so the recipe was also ready to be altered.

Furihata casually peered over his shoulder. "You're making another new drink?"

"No, it's a revised drink. Would you like to try it?"

"Sure!" Furihata brought the drink up to his lips. "It tastes… different? But it's not a bad different. The aftertaste is very refreshing."

"That's good enough for me." Kuroko responded, satisfied with Furihata's response.

After all, he wasn't changing completely. He's fine with gradual development. After all, time is something that he doesn't need to worry about.

* * *

Much to Kuroko's surprise, there were a lot more customers today than usual. And somehow, most of them were fine with the lack of menu. In fact, it seemed like they knew exactly how the cafe worked out.

Occupied with the flood of orders coming in, Kuroko's mind was in a constant state of work, not able to think about his own emotions like he is usually able to.

* * *

"Why were there so many customers?" Kuroko sighed as he wiped down the last remaining bits of the coffee stains off the kitchen counter.

Furihata sweeped the floor covered with small bits of crumbs and trash. "Now that's not exactly a bad thing right?"

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing." Kuroko deadpanned, "It's just very stressful. Not even regular cafes had this many customers."

"Haha… That's true." Furihata paused at that thought. "I thought you don't go around to other cafes?"

"I don't, but Kise dragged me around the city yesterday so I know what it's generally like."

"Oh? Come to think of it, we haven't seen Kise today huh?"

Kuroko stopped wiping the dishes. He had been so caught up with customers, he didn't even think about Kise not visiting.

"That's… true."

"He probably didn't want to cause too much trouble seeing our situation today."

"...Probably."

* * *

"Are you still going to wait for Kise, Kuroko?"

"Yes. If I he found that I left early, then he would probably throw a fit the next day."

"Hahaha, true… Well then, see you tomorrow!"

Kuroko waved Furihata goodbye. He sighed and stepped back into the cafe. After a long period of time debating, he took out the old blue book and opened it.

He immediately found himself staring at the first photo and the overly nogalstic handwriting just below the picture.

The photo consisted of a simple vanilla milk shake on a white surface. The text below said, "To Kuroko, who is too obsessed with vanilla flavored things." The handwriting was crude and messy, but it was so comforting at the same time.

Kuroko touched the pictures mentally preparing himself for a trip down the memory lane…

* * *

College was the worst thing Kuroko could ever imagine. The professor in his class was extremely strict and nabbed at every little thing. Luckily Kuroko wasn't called out, but there was another student that was called out and given a long lecture after class.

Kuroko looked down at his textbook at Maji Burger. He had figure he should probably read the first few chapters of the book in advance to get ahead in the class. After all, literature was his best subject, and it would be horrible if he didn't get on the professor's good side.

He sipped his vanilla shake until he felt a rattle on the table.

"Ugh, the professor today sucks." A stranger murmured as he sat in front of him.

He looked up from his textbook just to be greeted with a large stack of burgers.

Kuroko stared in shock as his eyes traveled to the stranger.

He had a large build, a strong jawline, and velvet spiked hair. His eyes were like fire, burning with tenacity and his- Kuroko stared at the one irregular feature of the guy. His eyebrows were split on the ends like it was done on purpose. If it weren't for the eyebrows, Kuroko might have called this man "attractive".

Ignoring the strange scene he saw, Kuroko cleared his throat.

"Um."

The stranger literally jumped in his seat, looking around for the source of that murmur.

"I was here first."

At last, the stranger saw him and yelled in surprise.

Reactions like this weren't anything new to Kuroko, he wasn't exactly a noticeable person, despite his vibrant hair color.

"What are you doing here?" The stranger asked incredulously.

"Like I said, I was here first."

"No you weren't, I picked an empty seat."

"You just didn't notice me."

"I'm pretty sure I would've noticed that textbook right there…" The stranger trailed off, staring at the textbook.

"You're… You're in my class?" He pointed to the textbook that Kuroko was reading.

Kuroko looked at the literature textbook. It was certainly his class an hour ago. "Perhaps."

"... Anyways, that's beside the point." The guy dismissed his own tangent. "My main point is the fact that you are on my table."

"I'm not going anywhere, I told you I was here first." Kuroko may have liked his appearance at first -despite his eyebrows-, but he definitely did not like this guy's attitude.

The two students continued to exchange glares until the stranger just sighed and threw his hands up in defeat. "Whatever."

He took his tray of burgers and walked to another table.

And that was the first time Kuroko had met Kagami Taiga.


	12. Strangers To Friends

Literature was one of Kuroko's favorite subjects. Well, not exactly literature but just reading books in general. It just happened to be correlated with one of the subjects he was good at. And that's why Kuroko sat in the front row of the class, diligently paying attention to the professor's lecture.

After class, he walked up to the professor to ask him a few questions.

"Hold on." The professor stopped him before he could say anything and suddenly shouted, "Kagami Taiga!"

The bluenette, turned around to the place where the professor was looking and ended up seeing the rude stranger he saw yesterday.

Kagami trotted down the stairs to meet the professor, but he looked extremely bored. "What is it, old man."

The professor smacked his head. Hard. "Call me professor!"

"Okay, uncle." Kagami replied, which had gotten him a second smack on his head.

They were related to each other? Kuroko had no idea. The only conclusion Kuroko could come up with was that Kagami hadn't inherited his eyebrows from his uncle.

"You…" The professor seethed angrily, "You should really learn from this fellow here. He's been diligently following class, and I think that it would be beneficial if you two worked together."

Kagami scratched his head. "Old man, there's no one here."

"I'm here."

"Wahhh!" Kagami jumped up as he saw Kuroko. "Whe- Wha-"

Kuroko shook his head and turned to the professor- or Kagami's uncle- and said, "Professor, I don't see how this is beneficial for me."

"I'll give you extra credit. And a letter of recommendation in the future."

Kuroko thought about it carefully. The letter was nice, but he wasn't even sure what he wanted to do in the future. It may be something completely unrelated to literature, so he wasn't sure how that may work.

"Hey! What about my opinion?!" Kagami shouted, distracting him from his thoughts.

"Your opinion is invalid until you start getting better at your studies. I am definitely not giving you any leeway just because you are my nephew. Do you understand?"

Kagami sighed and seemed to mutter something about his parents forcing him to take this class under his breath.

"So Kuroko-kun, what do you think?"

"...I think that would be a fair trade. As long as Kagami-kun would be willing to meet up sometime."

"I think he would be more than happy to." The professor gave a peculiar glare towards Kagami.

* * *

Kagami and Kuroko walked down the hallway from the lecture hall.

"So. You're actually going to tutor me?" Kagami finally spoke to break the silence.

Kuroko glanced at him. "Well, if I didn't then would I be breaking my word with the professor?"

"Hm. Well, don't expect it to be easy that's all." Kagami yawned.

"Are you claiming you're stupid?"

"What?! Of course not! I'm just a slow learner!"

Kuroko laughed. "Of course."

"Wh- What do you mean by that?!"

* * *

"Kuroko, you can help me order." Kagami yawned as he walked out of line to secure a table.

It's been a few weeks ever since the tutoring business started and Kagami and Kuroko had been holding regular tutorial sessions every two days at the cafe in the college.

After ordering the two drinks, Kuroko walked to his table and placed the textbooks onto it. "Now, please start working on this worksheet.

"Sure sure." Kagami muttered, taking a pen out of his bag.

Kuroko started taking out his book and started to read and annotate.

"Number 25!" The barista shouted from counter.

"Oh, isn't that your order?"

"Yeah."

As Kuroko placed their coffee's down on the table, Kagami took the almond mocha coffee Kuroko ordered for him.

"Damn, this is surprisingly good." Kagami marvelled at the cup after he took a sip.

"That's good." Kuroko sat back down, taking a sip of his vanilla latte before reading the textbook.

There was a long silence in between them while they studied, until someone called out.

"Heyy! Isn't that Kagami?"

Kagami's head jerked up to the familiar voice. "Tatsuya!"

Kuroko followed his gaze and saw a dashing raven haired man walk over. He was accompanied by a 6 feet tall giant.

"How are you doing? It's been awhile since we hung out." Himuro spoke.

"Yeah, I've been busy with the old man's class." Kagami sighed.

"Hahaha, parent's thought it would be easier?"

"No, they pushed me to do it because they are afraid of me slacking off."

"Well, you look pretty diligent to me?"

"Haha, the old man made me work with this guy." Kagami gestured to Kuroko with his pencil.

The raven haired man looked confused at first, after all he didn't see Kuroko. But he jumped after Kuroko suddenly seem to appear.

"O-Oh, My apologies, I didn't see you there." He smiled politely at Kuroko. "Himuro Tatsuya. And my friend here is Murasakibara Atsushi."

"No problem, it's a regular thing. Kuroko Tetsuya." Kuroko noticed the complete difference in behavior between Kagami and Himuro.

"Hey, you're thinking about something rude aren't you." Kagami flicked Kuroko on the forehead.

"...No." Kuroko avoided the topic and walked over the the cashier to order something else. He soon came back to the table holding two cups of coffee.

"Here you go." He told Himuro and his Murasakibara, placing the cups on the table.

"Eh?" Himuro looked confused.

"Ah. Sorry, I just…" Kuroko tried to make an excuse of his sudden impulse of buying someone a drink. Come to think of it, that's weird huh. "Sorry… it was impulse."

"Heeh, that's a weird impulse." Murasakibara towered over Kuroko.

"Now now, Atushi we shouldn't make fun of other's like that." He took the drink. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"...No problem…" Kuroko murmured and sat back down to his seat.

Himuro and his friend also took a seat next to them.

"Hey Kuro-chin," Kuroko was slightly startled by the use of his new nickname in the stranger's mouth. "How did you know I wanted this coffee?"

"Huh? Uh… I just thought you might have liked it, because it seems like you like a lot of different sweets and snacks."

"Kuroko-kun seems to be the type of observes a lot isn't he?" Himuro commented.

"Thank you…?" Kuroko doesn't know whether or not he should be flattered or not.

"Kuroko, I'm done." Kagami slid the worksheet to Kuroko, thankfully, getting Kuroko out of any more awkward situations.

"So are you two friends?" Himuro asked.

"What?! Why do you think we're friends?"

"Huh. I mean, it seems like a friendly setting?"

"Don't worry Himuro-san, this is just considered a exchange, not a friendship." Kuroko placed the marked worksheet in front of Kagami.

Kagami looked like he wanted to retort, but he didn't say anything.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"...No, it's just…" Kagami pouted slightly and said no more.

"Ah. Um, Kuroko-kun, want to go outside for a bit for a break? Atsushi can temporarily help Kagami with the worksheet." Himuro offered with a smile.

"? Sure." Kuroko stood up from his seat and followed Himuro outside.

Once outside, Himuro turned to him with a slightly conflicted face.

"...Was is something I said?" Kuroko guessed.

"Oh, so you already know...?"

"Not the details, but... I know I tend to say insensitive things to people without realizing. I hope I didn't offend anyone?"

"Oh, haha no, you didn't offend anyone. It's just that…" Himuro paused as if sorting out his thoughts, "Kagami is a very stubborn person you see."

"Yes, I figured that out the first day I met him." Kuroko remembered his brief and unpleasant meeting.

"Ah yes, that explains his attitude then. He tends to conceal how he actually feels and says the opposite you know?"

"Hm. I don't understand why he does that."

"I don't really understand either…" Himuro sighed, "That boy is very complicated."

"But putting that aside, even if he doesn't look like it, he considers you and him to be friends by now. And… What you said there may have hurt him."

"...I see."

* * *

"So… your grades are getting better right?" Kuroko asked Kagami as they walked back down to the college dorms.

"Yeah… Um, thanks. For you know, all the tutoring." Kagami scratched his neck awkwardly.

There was a pause. Then Kuroko said, "Himuro said that you consider us as friends. Is that true?"

"Wha-?!" Kagami stuttered, "I mean- Dammit Tatsuya!"

Kuroko stopped in front of Kagami and stared at him, trying to seek out his feelings towards Kuroko.

Kagami looked away. "I mean… I guess yeah."

Silence.

"I mean, I thought it comes naturally!" Kagami tried to retort.

"But you despised me the first day we met."

"Not despised, I was just annoyed with you at that time. But you know, things change!"

"Hm. Indeed." Kuroko looked at him thoughtfully. "Then are we considered friends now?"

"I would assume so." Kagami looked away and blushed.

"...I see."


End file.
